AN: I've been sick and feeling crappy lately. Sorry for the lack of updates. -.-' Shame. . . The next chapter will be the last, so one more after this one.
Hmm, not that I'm trying to HINT anything, but I'd probably write faster if I got some reviews. Hmm?
Oh, yeah, and I know Agasa's not a doctor. Kaito's mistake.
ENJOY! :D
It took Kaito several minutes to process the situation. He stared, blinked, kind of smiled, stopped smiling, stared, and finally make a verbal response that sounded something like a siren getting cut off.
Jimmy decided to ignore this reaction, "Kaito Kuroba?"
Regaining his KIDness, Kaito whipped his face clean of shock, "That would be me. . . Um, Akako said she set me up on a date?"
"Jimmy Kudo," Jimmy said, holding out his hand, but feeling odd. He still wasn't over all the layers of identities.
Kaito took it with a completely black face. Blank, but very pink.
"You're, like, a detective or something?"
"Yeah," Jimmy said shortly. He had so much to say, but nothing he could say.
A low growl came from Kaito.
"Ahaha. . . I guess we should eat."
"Where do you want to go?"
Jimmy scanned the street. He wasn't familiar with the area. "Sushi?" he asked.
"Alright," Kaito said quickly and started walking. He paused suddenly, just as soon as Jimmy had began following.
"Wait, no," he said, "No sushi."
Jimmy noted the odd behaviour but tucked it away, as he felt to self-conscious to entirely care.
"Let's get coffee," Kaito said, turning in a different direction.
Jimmy walked, feeling the cool evening air brush his cheeks. He could smell the coffee coming from the close-by shop. He breathed in, trying to clear his mind. Just focus on now.
Kaito opened the door, "Detectives first," he said, moving to the side for Jimmy.
Jimmy nodded politely and accepted, entering ahead of Kaito.
Kaito leaned against the counter, "One small mocha latte and. . ." he looked at Jimmy.
"An iced tea."
Kaito grinned, for some reason.
"Will that be all?" the cashier asked.
"Yep," Kaito said cheerily, obviously much less tense.
"That will be eight dollars and thirty cents."
Jimmy went in his pocket for some cash, but Kaito beat him to it. And tipped generously at that.
Kaito yanked Jimmy by the sleeve and sat him in a wood seat, then plopped in one himself.
His expressing was getting annoying. Using his top-notch detective skills, Jimmy deduced he didn't have spinach in his teeth, the evidence being he hadn't eaten spinach.
"What?" he asked, finally.
"You're a tea-person," Kaito said, giggling like a child saying 'potty.'
Jimmy quirked his brow.
"I think it's a detective thing," Kaito said, still grinning ear-to-ear, "Hakuba likes tea, too. You could start The Solving Mysteries, Catching KID, and Drinking Tea Club."
"Come on," Jimmy said, "I don't like tea that much."
Kaito's response was continued laughter, "Think about it. You could have a clubhouse and everything."
Jimmy crossed his arms in his first instinct to be annoyed at Kaito's immaturity and blushed at his second to be charmed by it.
Kaito let out a few dying chuckles, "So, who dragged you into this?"
"Two insane girls."
"For me it only took one. Akako thinks I'm depressed and thus need to date a random person. Try to follow he logic."
Jimmy smirked, "I doubt anyone around here has any."
Jimmy found a tea under his nose.
"You're drinks, boys," the waitress said.
"Thanks," Jimmy and Kaito chorused. Still a little nervous and hyper, they both laughed.
The waitress's mouth twisted in amusement at this, "First date together?"
"No. I mean, yes. I mean, it's not a date. I mean, it's not really a date," the said together, somehow
managing to sync a short monologue.
"Mmm-hmm," the waitress said, giving her hair a flip, "Well, I got to get working. Enjoy your not-a-date."
There was an awkward moment, but it died quickly. Just as Jimmy found himself laughing at Kaito's imitation of Hakuba, a burning swelled up in his chest.
Not now. Jimmy lurched forward in involuntarily, his hand gripping his shirt.
"A-are you okay?"
He shouldn't change for another half hou – He forced his shaking vision to the wall clock.
Damn it! He lost track of time. As though he really was some child. Damn, no time to stew in that. Sweat was trickling down all over his body and his bones seemed to melt and contort. He had to get away from Kaito.
"Hold on," Kaito said, as Jimmy pushed himself up with effort, "You look sick."
"I'm fine," Jimmy said painfully.
Kaito rose, "I better walk you home."
"I'm fine," he repeated.
"Let me rephrase; I'm walking you home."
Great, he was as stubborn as Rachel. He forced himself to walk without leaning against anything.
"Are you trying to stalk me?"
Kaito swallowed a breath, "I don't know you that well, but know you need help."
Jimmy pushed open the door and attempted t close it on Kaito, but he caught it.
"This is ridiculous," Kaito huffed.
"You're the one following me," Jimmy said through his aching teeth.
"Aa-aah!" A jolt of pain and he fell to his knees. No. . . No! What was this happening so quickly?
"Hey. . ! Breath, okay? What's. . ."
The rest of the words were enveloped by the blackness.
Oh God, he passed out. He should call an ambulance.
Kaito flipped open his cellphone, but glance hesitantly at the detective.
Was he. . . shrinking? He couldn't be shrinking. . . . Screw it. He was definitely shrinking. What if he disappeared completely? In that case, an ambulance wouldn't arrive on time. Oh, God. Okay, just think. He could get there with his glider in time, but they wouldn't let KID just waltz into the hospital - shrinking detective or no.
Wait, wasn't Jimmy's neighbour a doctor or something? That may be his best bet.
He scanned the area for the highest elevation, found a building, and dashed for it.
The glider ride was an eon that took a second and a second that took an eon.
To say the very least, the eccentric was shocked to have Kaito KID shove his neighbour at him
"Your friend is shrinking," Kaito said, and with a realization added, "And I didn't do it. I steal crap, I don't shrink people."
The man nodded, "I know," he said, "He does that, you see."
"What you mean he 'does that!?' I don't know about doctor training, but when I signed up to be a thief, 'shrinking detective' wasn't on the application."
"Um. . ."
A little girl peered from behind the man, "He's fine," she said, he voice ominously flat and lacking in the innocence of a child. She also smiled with anything but innocence, "You shouldn't worry so much about your enemies, Mr. KID."
Frustration and panic threatened to make Kaito explode; poker face long forgotten, "First I don't harm the people who chase me. Second," he said, looking at the detective, "Jimmy Kudo is-" his mouth froze, "Little detective?"
He almost dropped the now-a-child. The girl's face feel into some sort of dark amusement.
"Jimmy Kudo is Conan Edogawa?"
Kaito's head hurt. It was official.
The man's eyes wandered nervously to the girl, "Anita. . ?"
"He took one of my experimental pills. He had it coming," the girl said, then frowned, "Was he chasing you?"
Kaito coughed, "No. Nope, definitely not."
The girl narrowed her eyes, "In any case, I supposed I'll explain. Come in, Mr. KID."
In the first version of the girl's – Anita's – story, Conan Edogawa was from Mars on a mission to seek vengeance on murders for whipping out his face. The second, told with an equally straight face, he was a high school detective turned kid after swallowing a pill from the evil organization he was tracking.
The first seemed to explain more about Conan's uncanny abilities.
However, the ladder fit into his prior experience, so he accepted it.
Then what was that thought nagging him at the back of his head?
"Why tell me this?"
Anita shrugged, "First, to stop you from hyperventilating."
"And your second reason, small madam?"
She smiled darkly. Again. "Kudo's waking; one moment."
He watched Anita at the coach where Conan was sitting up. She dug through her tools, pulled one out, and appeared to take his temperature.
The awkward man, Agasa, shuffled like he wanted to say something to Kaito. He ignored it. Something was still bothering him. Was it something he said to Conan?
"Do you know why he used the pill?" Agasa asked.
Good question. "I'm afraid Mr. Critic puzzles me, as well."
Agasa looked openly curious at the nickname, but didn't comment.
Anita rejoined them, Conan following. She flashed him a we-will-talk-about-this-later-and-you're-not-going-to-like-it look (a look with a long name to represent the long years of up-coming agony it implied).
"You saw that, huh?" the shrunken detective asked Kaito.
Curious. He didn't ask what Kaito KID was doing hanging around a coffee shop.
"It's an intriguing origin, Little Detective."
"Still 'Little Detective?'"
"You are still little, aren't you?"
Conan grunted in response.
An awkward pause ensued. This meant every looked contemplative and calm, while Agasa looked painfully uncomfortable to reflect everyone else in the room.
"So," Agasa ventured, "Anyone do anything interesting for Valentine's Day?"
Anita shot him a withering look, but something finally clicked in Kaito's brain.
Damn it! Freaking Valentine's Day! God, he freaking confessed to Conan. To Jimmy.
He must of turned pink, because Agasa told him he looked like a Valentine's decoration.
"I – I It was a joke!" he said to Conan. He seemed to understand, despite the lack of explanation.
Kaito jerked around to the door, "I need to be leaving. I humbly thank you for your courtesy."
"KID, hold on."
He was already gone; the phantom he claimed to be.